Hermanito
by 12anonymous33
Summary: With the help of Diego Armando's younger brother, he and Mia Fey must work together to defeat the evil force that is Dahlia Hawthorne. Perhaps now, fate will be kinder to the two defense attorneys.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Hey...Hey! Earth to Aurelio!"

I sighed and closed my book, looking up at my older brother as he politely slammed yet another fat folder on the small desk in front of me. More work for me, it seems. Too bad, I was just getting to the good part of my novel.

"You know the drill, kid," he said, smiling that irritating grin of his and taking a sip from his beloved coffee mug.

I chuckled back at him, shaking my head as I flipped through all of the papers I had to sort and file in the overflowing cabinets, more like trophy cases, of his victorious trials. I didn't expect this much on my plate when I lightly suggested to Diego that I could be his new assistant. Mr. Grossberg thought that it was very endearing of me to do so, but the dark glint in my brother's eye when he accepted didn't mean anything good.

"And once again, the day is saved by the brave and dashing Mr. Armando!" I muttered under my breath as I began working. Diego hummed in agreement as he got back to his own mahogany desk.

"It was a landslide win, of course. The prosecution stood no chance, man," He retorted. "Also, all of the kittens there loved it! I swear, hermano, the temperature in that courtroom went up ten degrees by the time I was done."

I rolled my eyes and laughed, still occupied. "Here we go with more of the 'kitten' stuff! You can talk the talk, Diego, but can you walk the walk?" I replied insinuatingly.

My brother grinned wolfishly at me and winked seductively. I faked a disgusted scoff, causing us both to start laughing our asses off. It felt good to be around my brother more often ever since our parents...left...some years ago. I remembered being so depressed during those days. Diego was my only close family left, even though I didn't see him that often back then, with him being so busy with law school and all. More recently, I was able to move in with my brother and start school in LA. At first, Diego was worried about being burdened with me, but our parents left us everything to help me on my way, and I mean almost all of their dowry.

I really do look up to Diego. After getting past his cocky and arrogant front, he is a hardworking and loyal guy who never gives up nor goes back on his word. I'm not ashamed to say that he was always there to comfort me during those rough times, while having to work and arrange for our parents' remaining estate himself. When I got off of the plane at LAX, Diego was waiting there. He had held me tightly as I cried for our lost parents and in joy of seeing him again. It is one of my most intense and cherished memories.

But now, I was fifteen, in highschool, and had my whole future laid out before me. All thanks to Diego.

After my brother and I laughed it up for a bit, I said, "Yeah, you act like that now, but let's see how you do in a few minutes."

Diego looked at me and cocked his eyebrow quizzically. "What do you mean by that, Aurelio?" Before I could answer him, though, a clear voice rang through the offices.

"Mr. Armando, are you there?" called Mia Fey. I knew that this attorney was the only woman who was a match for my smug brother, with her determination and perseverance. Diego only took it as a challenge for him, and would basically flirt with Ms. Fey every chance he got. However, my brother was starting to make progress, as they would always take small cases and spend time together.

Right before Ms. Fey entered the office, I smirked at my brother, only to receive a courtroom death-glare in return. Oh well. Watching him and Ms. Fey bicker was pretty entertaining.

Ms. Fey entered my brother's office, smiling good naturedly. She was carrying some sheets of paper that she was probably copying or faxing some moments earlier. I'm not going to lie, Diego was right when he said she was beautiful. All of the qualities that he wanted, including the surprisingly chaste ones, were there. However, I didn't want to leer, because Diego would probably whack me on the head and call me a pervert or something. Hypocrite.

"Hi, Ms. Fey," I greeted, smiling. She turned to me, pushing some of her light brown hair away from her face.

"Hello there, Aurelio," she responded, coming forward to stand in front of me. "I hope that this caffeinated oaf over here didn't make you slave away all day." We both chuckled at her quiet joking, but neither of us noticed Diego sneaking towards us mischievously.

"Well, Diego is Diego," I began, "Brawn, brain, but no work ethic."

"RRAAAWRR!"

"EEEEKK!"

Diego had pounced on Ms. Fey, wrapping his strong arms around her middle and pulling her to him. I was lucky, since I usually have a small heart attack when he does that to _me_.  
After nearly falling out of my chair and catching my breath, I glared up at my brother. He could be so freaking rude sometimes!

"Diego," I grumbled, "Why do you have to be so damn intrusive? Was this really necessary?"

"Hmm...I don't know...was it, kitten?" I immediately could tell that he wasn't talking to me, but to poor Ms. Fey, who stood still in shock in his grasp. He had his head on her shoulder and was speaking huskily into her ear. God, why did he have to do that in front of me? Why?!

Then the most unexpected thing happened. Ms. Fey didn't turn around to slap Diego or kick him in the shin. She didn't even yell or pout.

She was _smirking_. Like she actually _liked_it.

"You tell me, _Senor Armando_," Ms. Fey responded, relaxing against him and speaking with delicious seductiveness. "I've been working all day with boring papers and files, and I could use some..._relaxation_."

I still couldn't believe that they were acting all smitten in front of me! Did they forget I was even there? What happened to the loathing they had for each other? I decided to bring them back to reality before my brain melted.

"Um, guys...I'm still here you know." As I said this, I was looking down at the carpeted floor, face redder than a beet.

"Oh my God! Diego!" Ms. Fey yelled as if I had woken her fro a deep sleep. "We can't just act like this in front of your little brother!"

Diego shrugged, not letting go of his hostage. "Fine. Scram, Aurelio."

"But..."

"NOW."

I groaned in frustration and left my brother's office, sulking. Ms. Fey looked apologetic, but said nothing. Oh well, I'll just have to get answers from them later.

_Damn it_, I seethed, _I left my book in there!_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Right then, the Grossberg Law Offices were pretty empty. All of the other attorneys, interns, and secretaries had gone home. Diego was the one who stayed the latest. He took his job very, very seriously. I guessed I just stayed with him because I had nothing better to do.

I looked up at a clock on the wall. It was already late in the afternoon. The office was darkening, illuminated by the soft orange glow from the sun outside.

I sighed and ran my hands through my dark hair. I wondered how my brother was finally able to win his co worker's heart. Just a few days ago, he was ranting about her dislike of coffee, specifically his special brews. Personally, I didn't drink coffee that much, but some of Diego's blends were pretty unique and flavorful. I was probably one of the only people, besides Ms. Fey, allowed to drink from my brother's sacred bounty.

I found myself bored, and walking towards the back of the offices. I looked up and saw the double doors leading to all of the case files, won, and lost.

I didn't know too much about the DL-6 Incident. It happened many years ago, probably when I was really little. Whenever I asked Diego about it, he would gruffly pass it off, saying that a famous defense attorney was murdered in a stuck elevator after a trial. However, I did find out that Grossberg played a role in it, and it also involved the Fey Clan. I wasn't into this "spirit channeling" stuff, but I thought it was pretty cool. I had never seen a spirit being channeled before, though, not even by Ms. Fey.

Speaking of which, she and my brother were probably still..._occupied_...at the moment, giving me enough time to go in and do some snooping around. Turning around one last time, I took a deep breath, and entered.

After finding a light switch, the bright fluorescent bars on the ceiling revealed many cabinets, shelves and dusty tables. Files and packages were all scattered about, but they didn't catch my interest. I scanned the cabinets until I found the right letter combination I was looking for. A small binder was all I could find of relevance, and it was marked as "DL-6" in large, bold letters on the front. Satisfied, I took it to a nearby table and began milling through it. I really hoped that I wasn't going to get in trouble for this.

The binder looked kind of old, like no one even remembered it existed. It was full of many pages containing profiles and mug shots, pictures of evidence, court records, interviews, and so on. Wasting no time, I began reading as if the binder was a classic crime thriller.

The day was December 28, 2001. Gregory Edgeworth, an experienced defense attorney, was with his young son, Miles, at the courthouse after losing a trial to the infamous prosecutor, Manfred von Karma. The trial in question involved a case filed as IS-7.

Edgeworth...Edgeworth...where have I heard that name before?

At about 2:00 PM, Edgeworth and his son entered an elevator to leave the courthouse. Accompanying them was a bailiff named Yanni Yogi. Suddenly, an earthquake began to violently shake the building, cutting the power and trapping the three in the elevator, which began to deplete of oxygen after a while.

Who in their right minds would build an airtight elevator?

Anyway, as time went on, Yogi panicked and began attacking the defense attorney because of the lack of oxygen. A fight ensued and two shots were fired from the bailiff's pistol. When rescuers were finally able to open the elevator, Miles Edgeworth and Yanni Yogi were unconscious. Gregory Edgeworth was dead from a bullet to the heart. Yogi became the prime suspect of the case, considering it was his pistol that killed the attorney. Miles was the key witness.

I couldn't help but feel sad for this Miles Edgeworth. The court files were implying that he was but a boy when this all happened. But what did Grossberg and the Fey clan have to do with any of this? I had to get to the bottom of it.

Yogi apparently suffered major brain damage because of oxygen deprivation in the elevator, and he lost all memory of the killing. But a trial still had to be held to bring justice to the Edgeworth's. The attorney assigned to the suspect was-

"Well, well, I didn't expect you to by sneaking around here..._Mr. Armando_."

I gasped and jumped. _Damn it!_ I had been caught! I sure was in for it now. Slowly and with fear, I turned around to face the man who had found me.

Robert Hammond.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Ack! Mr. Hammond!" I exclaimed, hiding the case file behind my back. "Umm...uh...my brother! Diego wanted me to look for something here. I wasn't-"

"I don't want to hear it," Hammond cut in dangerously, a cold smirk upon his crooked features. "Mr. Grossberg only allows certain, _privileged_ individuals in this room. If he found out about this intrusion, he'd see just how much of a juvenile delinquent you really are."

I inhaled sharply and looked down at the hard floor, ashamed. Where did this jerk get off making these baseless insults? I knew that he and my brother were not on the best terms, but why did he have to take it out on me?

Before I could react, Hammond snatched away the DL-6 file. When he saw what it was, he smiled coldly. "Looks like curiosity killed the kitten," he mocked, "Perhaps I should just tell you the whole story anyway. It won't matter seeing as you'll be in big trouble soon.

"The police could not find much incriminating evidence against Yanni Yogi. So what did they do? They went to that slanderous Fey Clan, to channel Edgeworth and learn the murderer's identity! Ingrates!"

Hammond seemed to he going mad. I was frightened because he was usually so quiet and calculating while working. I brought a hand up to my mouth and bit my finger nervously as he violently shoved the case file back into its place. It was like he was letting go of all of the resentment that had been building up inside him for years. I made the mistake of trying to talk to the attorney again.

"So...um...what happened?"

Mr. Hammond rounded on me again, an enraged look in his eye. "What happened? That Mia's disgraceful mother channeled the spirit of Edgeworth, who said that the killer was Yogi!"

My eyes went a little wide with the shock. Would LAPD really do something so desperate? Did Mia have anything to do with this?

Almost immediately, Hammond's face hardened back into a cold smirk. "But I got them. I took Yogi's case and won against those rascals. And that damn Misty Fey got her just deserts. The entire Clan was ridiculed and disgraced for performing such a corrupt act."

I stood there, silent. I couldn't believe that DL-6 went as deep as this. Mr. Hammond took this as an invitation to continue his rant.

"I thought that perhaps Mr. Grossberg would finally realize my brilliance by winning that impossible case; that after bringing his firm such fame, he would make me the Chief Defense Attorney in this establishment, but no. He chose your obnoxious, useless, lumbering fool of a brother, who's-"

"-standing right behind you."

Both of us jumped at the sound of the new voice. I looked up and saw Diego, standing near the entrance of the file room. He had a smug smirk on his face, but I could clearly see the frustration swirling in his eyes. Behind him, standing nervously in the doorway, was Mia, who appeared to be looking down at the floor in shame. Boy, was I glad to see them.

Hammond quickly composed himself and stepped away from me. Chuckling darkly, he turned to face Diego.

"Honestly, Diego, you shouldn't sneak up on your friends like that," he began, "Too bad snooping appears to run in the family."

My brother directed his hard gaze towards me, and I just stared back, bewildered. I was just glad that I wouldn't be caught any deeper in this whole DL-6 mess.

"I keep track of my brother, Robert, not you. Just let me handle this." Diego's gaze trailed away from my face and back to Hammond's. The other attorney looked like he was going to start yelling again, and Mia shrunk back slightly behind Diego. However, Mr. Hammond composed himself again, strode past the couple, and left the vicinity.

Silence filled the bland room for several moments. I couldn't meet Diego's chocolate eyes, even though I could feel them drilling into my skull. I felt guilty for having looked at that damn case file.

"Aurelio."

For some reason, it took me a second to hear Mia's soft chime of a voice. I glanced up and saw her stepping towards me warily.

"Are you alright? What did Robert do to you?"

"What were you doing in here, Aurelio?" Diego interjected gruffly. I looked to him, not sure what to say. My brother came closer and his eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you were looking at THAT case file."

"Well...I...uh...yes." I stuttered guiltily. Luckily, Mia turned on my brother before he could snap at me.

"You can't blame him for being curious, Diego!" She asserted. "He was going to find out some time."

"I told him that you had a hard time dealing with it and that he shouldn't dig up painful memories. It should stay in past!" Diego growled back at her.

Mia was silent. She looked down at the tiled floor and sighed heavily. My brother's eyes immediately softened and he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, babe...I'm sorry," he whispered, and I nearly did a double take. Diego was calling her BABE now? How long had they been on this pet-name basis?

"I'm sorry, too," I spoke up nervously. I didn't know where I got the courage to do so, but I kept going. "I didn't know that DL-6 would be so personal for you. I should've been more careful."

Mia chuckled sadly and looked back up with a small smile.

"Thank you both, but like Diego said, it's all in the past. Let's just forget about it for now."

My brother smiled and hummed in agreement, but to me it sounded as if there was still a feeling of longing in Mia's words. Is this why she began studying law? To prove everyone wrong about her family?

Diego looked down at his watch. "We should really get going. It's late, and I don't want Aurelio and I to be late for dinner. Why don't you come over, kitten?"

Mia blinked in slight surprise. "What? Me? No thanks. It's OK. I don't want to be a burden," she said quickly.

"It'd be nice to have you over, Ms. Fey," I added softly.

"Cut the crap, kitten," Diego laughed with a twinkle in his eye. "You're coming with, got it? I'll just go get our stuff and we're outta here!" With that he winked and briskly left the room.

Mia stood still for a bit and pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed. However, as she walked out, she smiled again. "That man," she mused quietly.

As I followed Mia past the desks in the law firm towards the lobby, I finally asked the question that had been burning in my mind.

"Ms. Fey?" I began cautiously, "Are you and my brother..."

"Together? Yes, actually, for several days." Mia finished my inquiry for me. She didn't turn around to face me, but I could still see the honest smile on her lips. I turned and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. I wasn't sure what to say next. I guessed that I should just leave it as it was and not pry.

"By the way, Aurelio, you don't have to keep calling me Ms. Fey all the time," Mia continued good-naturedly, turning around to face me. I could feel my face flushing a little from embarrassment and I chuckled nervously.

"Um, OK...if you say so, Mia," I responded. She nodded in approval and smiled, and with that, we waited quietly in Grossberg's lobby for Diego's return.


End file.
